NIL KHASEVYCH PRESENTE! THE STORY OF ONE UKRAINIAN ARTIST

Painting by Yuriy Zhuravel

On March 4, 1952 died the UPA artist Nil Khasevych (combat callsign Bey). He was recognised as a talented artist already in 30's, but during the war Nil joined Ukrainian nationalist movement to fight for the independence of Ukraine in the UPA ranks. Until recently, his name was removed from the history of Ukrainian art. For more that 50 years the Soviet special services tried to erase a name of the one, whose pencil became a real weapon of Ukrainian nationalist front. But now the disclosure of the KGB secret archives has shed light on the artist's life. Now we know that Nil died as a hero with a weapon in his hands in uncompromising struggle for the freedom of his land. 

Dear artist, until now noone knows where is your grave, to come there and remind you with a good word. There are only a cross in a field, a well and a pear, who saw you alive and remind us about someone's treachery ...

In the beginning of the war Nil worked in Rivne city as a graphic artist in the newspaper "Volyn" which was edited by the famous writer Ulas Samchuk. However, once he made sure that both the Germans and the Bolsheviks are not going to help Ukrainians to gain their independence the artist joined the ranks of Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), where he fought as a soldier of UPA-North, leaded by Klym Sawur (Dmytro Klyachkovsky).

Later, as a member of the regional counter propaganda referenty Nil Khasevych worked in the underground newspaper "To arms!" where he produced various brochures, leaflets. In 1943-1944 the artist made a famous series of artworks entitled "Volyn in struggle," dedicated to the heroes of Ukrainian nationalist movement. He also painted for the Ukrainian humoristic magazine "Perets" and made numerous campaign posters, through which the artist denounced the lie of the Soviet propagandists as well as encouraged Ukrainians and other enslaved nations to fight for independence.

After the war in the Great Britain was published on of his last letters: "Russians know who is covered under the callsign Bey, but not my countrymen. But I' going to fight the enemies of my people till the last spark of my life. Yes, I am a cripple (Nil lost his left leg), but I am fighting them while many healthy people in the world do not even believe that this struggle is possible. I want the whole world to know that the fight is possible and Ukrainians are fighting."